Underlying Agenda
by joshxcraig
Summary: They believed a new age was dawning upon them, one that needed to be inspired by the power of the human condition once again.  And so they sought to breakdown, rebuild, and perfect the human blueprint into a weapon... 6X2, previous 6X9.
1. Prologue

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT under any circumstances claim ownership of any characters, references, or coincidences herein and make no profit from this publication.

**UNDERLYING AGENDA**

**PROLOGUE**

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><p>Following the Eve Wars, surviving medical experts, geneticists, and engineers began covert research efforts for that which would further the preservation of the human race in a world unmistakably captivated by Mobile Suit Technology. They believed a new age was dawning upon them, one that needed to be inspired by the power of the human condition once again. And so they sought to breakdown, rebuild, and perfect the human blueprint into a weapon that would far supersede the artificial technology that once propelled the Gundams not long ago.<p>

"Ultraviolet regeneration… complete."

The twin reactor capsules were simultaneously released from their anchors in the wall without a solitary sound. On an invisible track powered magnetically beneath the stainless steel floor, they traveled across the lab floor and came to a stop just before her silky knees. Slowly, they came to vertical arrangement and for the first time she saw their faces, as they should be, through the reinforced glass.

Standing in awe of perfection, those outsiders selected first to witness were granted entry without proper announcement, and it was then that the very concept selected to preserve humanity became the undoing of many without cause, and the castigation for those arrogantly seeking to wield the hand of God.


	2. Chapter One

**UNDERLYING AGENDA**

**CHAPTER ONE**

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><p><em>The base of her head still ached where she had fallen that one night last November. Especially when she looked down below, just there, where the waves and the limestone collided to form the sharp and jagged edges, those that nearly split her skull and popped both lungs like a pin to a helium balloon. <em>_The icy wind and rain sliced through his body and nearly anesthetized his extremities as he stumbled through the thorny wood in search of her. The t-shirt and jeans were soaked through and his hair was a tangled, matted mess by the time he reached the edge of the clearing, the edge of the ravine. __"Noin?" He shouted, despite the cold gripping his throat with an iron fist, the sting and blood seeping from the superficial scrapes on his face and arms. "Noin, dammit, where are you!" _

"Here."

Zechs sat up, squaring his shoulders as the golden blonde crossed the wide expanse between the double wooden doors and his desk. Pivoting in his leather chair to face panoramic window behind him, Zechs took a deep breath to still his agony and instructed rather caustically for her to, "Please knock before you enter."

"Yeah, sure." Agent Poe reached the edge of the desk and knocked on the pristine glass surface, her characteristically warm persona completely undeterred by her patient's ever present detachment from his duties, from the living world ever since _she_ left it for another they'd all know soon enough. So why brood?

"What is it, Agent Poe?"

"I come bearings gifts," she started, pulling out a leather clad file from beneath her arm. "Chief Une's quarterly in-service agenda, a copy of the finalized budget for the next biennium, and the gift that keeps on giving…"

When Zechs turned Sally had gone. There were no reports left behind, just a sole bottle of Excedrin. Moments later, his boss's stern voice sounded through his personal pager. "Go home, Zechs."

"We've got a debriefing in five minutes, Une."

"I wasn't asking."

Uncapping the bottle, Zechs swallowed two with a forceful toss of his head and a fleeting grimace and stood up. "Your threat is palpable, Chief, but we've wasted enough time. I'll see you in the conference room."

It was of no surprise to any of them- Barton, Chang, Yuy, Maxwell, or Une- that someone like Zechs would deny himself the human necessity to bereave. If you knew his history, lived it as they all had, there was nothing to really discuss. There was little they could offer him. In fact, there was nothing they could offer him, but admitting that would fabricate the meaninglessness of trying to live in peace when all they've ever known is war. The bliss of living a dream only their tortured existences could make a reality was their only therapy. This was the only life Zechs knew and would've never had to know again if what remained of his faith hadn't died with Lucretzia Noin.

"Are there any other questions?" Zechs asked, powering off the overhead monitor and reopening the electronic shades. The view of the city at the end of October was a superb painting of vibrant yellows, oranges, reds, and the soft, cool caress of the impending December chill. Zechs frowned. All he saw was November.

"…-mittals…?"

Chief Une and Barton shared a knowing glance. Agent Chang sighed, losing his patience, and tried again as evenly as he could, "Agent Merquise, what about all those transfer transmittals?"

"That all?" Duo rolled his eyes and swung his right leg off the arm of his chair, stood and stretched with a loudly vocalized yawn. "Just shred the damn things for Christ's sake."

Wufei quirked a caustic brow at his partner, "There was a reason I didn't bother asking you to begin with, Maxwell."

"He's right," Zechs interrupted, having returned to the present conversation by the saving graces of Duo's obnoxiousness in time to end it. "They're far too archaic even to be physically archived. Either have Intelligence file them electronically or get rid of them altogether."

Duo chuckled, gathering his Preventer's jacket and tossing it over his shoulder and slipping on his aviators. "Shred that shit. Heero'll kill you otherwise."

"That's quite enough." Lady Une stood. "Consult Agent Yuy and finalize the solution, Agent Chang. This meeting's adjourned." Chang and Barton picked up and exited quietly, followed by a rather concerned Chief Une who shared one final look at a vacant Zechs Merquise before she too took her leave for the day.

"What keeps you Agent Maxwell?"

Duo tossed his jacket back in his seat and set his shades back down quietly on the conference table. He took a moment to admire the beautiful landscape quietly before he looked up at the taller man through a canopy of cinnamon bangs, "You look like toasted shit, man. Quite frankly, I'm worried."

"Worried?" Zechs scoffed, "How sordid."

"Indeed. So how about you let me buy you a beer and we can hash out whatever's bothering you like real men, hm?" Duo watched the blonde slip on his trench coat over his pristine Zegna suit and went to hand him his gloves.

"No thank-." Zechs prickled as he swiftly yanked them out his reach like a trickster child.

"Come on," Duo whined tenderly, leaning back against the edge of the table and smirking enticingly at him. "Ice cold and…_free_."

Zechs's patience only seemed to wane.

Waiving the gloves teasingly in front his nose, Duo took his chances anyway, even if he was skirting on the edge of being bought a shiner he'd never forget. No pun intended. "Let it go, Zechs. Not even the infamous Lightning Count can pass up free beer."

Repossessing them gruffly, Zechs held up a sharp pointer digit to provide him a warning and stress the intention as requested. "_One._"

"All right, all right, one beer. Not two, no matter how sorry for yourself you say you're feeling." Duo reassured, smirking smugly as he followed Zechs into the elevator and down to the admin parking lot below street level. Only Chief Une, Senior Agents like Zechs, Noin, Sally, and other important admin personnel were authorized to park down there. Hell, they even had reserved spots with gold engraved nameplates. Agent Noin's still remained. The spot now empty beside Zechs's BMW M3. Tactfully, Duo said nothing about it and simply climbed into the coup.

"Cool ride," he finally said, nodding appreciatively. "How much do these babies run for?"

_"It's my gift to you, Milliardo. The price is irrelevant…" _

Zechs shook his head, "I'm not sure."

"Man. I wish I could buy a car like this and forget the price tag."

Roaring into a space, Zechs yanked up the parking brake and turned toward him. "I don't need your charity or your sympathy. So what is it you want, Duo?"

"God damn, Zechs." Duo chuckled and looked away, his palms breaking into a nervous sweat. "I just wanted to be a pal and buy you a drink. Is that a fucking crime?"

Zechs searched him suspiciously as Duo looked away, caught in the embarrassment of acting on an underlying agenda. He flushed a deep crimson that swarmed down his neck and far beyond his shirt collar. Zechs hadn't expected this.

"You're such a dick sometimes…" Duo muttered meaningfully. And yet he didn't budge.

Unscathed, Zechs reached over and tucked a lock of wild bang behind his ear, and when he turned to face him, Duo quivered as he huskily offered, "How about a drink at my place instead?"


	3. Chapter Two

**UNDERLYING AGENDA**

**CHAPTER TWO**

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><p>The elevators opened up and Duo stepped into the spacious gourmet kitchen of his one bedroom penthouse apartment. The stainless steel Elite appliances and Persian marble countertops gleamed beautifully. "There's some beer in the fridge. Make yourself at home," Zechs politely excused himself and disappeared down the hall, leaving Duo to his own devices while he changed out of his work clothes.<p>

"Thanks…" Duo got a peek of the master bedroom as Zechs disappeared behind the frosted French doors. White elegance; appropriate for the elusive Prince of Sanc. The cool tile permeated his socked feet as he grabbed a beer from the well stocked fridge, almost immediately drifting toward the open dining and living room set before a breathtaking panoramic view of downtown Tokyo. "Oh, wow…" Zechs surrounded himself with taste and luxury, but this wasn't his home. The remnants of it were hidden away in the unpacked brown paper boxes sitting in a darkened corner. Carefully setting down his beer on the mahogany coffee table, Duo lugged one over to the couch and unfolded the first item from its bubble wrap cocoon.

"Ah hell…" Zechs had barely stepped out of the shower when his COM unit went off and by the sound of the ringer, he had a damn good idea who it was and why. He struggled to find a towel, and when he realized they were still sitting in the dryer in the utility closet, Zechs took his chances and slunk out into the hall despite the wailing machine. In mid reach for the freshly dried cotton, Zechs paused at the silence that followed after the persistent call ceased. Then he noticed Duo's muddy boots by the elevator doors, heard the soft rustle of paper, the Tiffany frames being placed gingerly on the glass sill of the unused fireplace.

Five years into world peace, and Duo barely recognized the late Lucretzia Noin. The once androgynous soldier had transformed into one unmistakably feminine Italian bombshell. Duo unveiled another photo and recalled the warmth behind her smile. She had been a breathtaking bride with her long, sensual waves of midnight hair, freckled skin, and marvelously kind features. The $64,000.00 mermaid wedding gown by Versace didn't hold a candle to her. In fact, about the only thing brighter was the sparkle of pride in Milliardo Peacecraft as he gazed down into her oval countenance, kissed her beneath the altar within the elaborate Cathedral of Sanc. Duo placed the last of the set onto the mantle and reached for another, warmed by their memories from the inside out-... "Oh, piss!" Duo winced as a stack of unsorted photos suddenly fell away from an unfinished album and spilled all over the living room floor. Quickly, he bent down and carefully worked to gather them up when what they beheld arrested him cold.

Blood splatter.

Skull fragments.

Blue lips.

"Oh, Jesus…" Duo shut his eyes as bile rose and carefully exhaled, startled as he looked up to see Zechs still figure just standing at the foot of the living room in a bath towel. The look on his face was unrecognizable to Duo. Not even in his darkest days had Heero Yuy ever held a look like the one Zechs held at that very moment; living death.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Duo picked up a photo and thrust it forward. It was a picture of Noin, or what was left of her after her skull hit the rocks. "You kept these? You look at these?"

"I didn't invite you here to meddle in my private life, Duo Maxwell." Ripping the photo from his grip, Zechs's face remained unmoving even as he, with a vicious sweep of his arm, sent the frames flying off the mantle to shatter on the virginal hearth below. "What the hell is it to you if I look at them?"

"It's just…" Now was not the time to get into it with the former Oz Specials Lieutenant. Not when his blood was up, and old wounds re-salted by Duo's rampant nosiness. Managing to look ashamed, Duo shook his head, "Nothing, you're right. It is none of my business." Duo sidestepped him, the glass in attempt to show himself out, but instead found himself sharply pinned to the elevator doors by the shoulders several inches off the ground. He lost grip on his boots and they fell soundlessly to the floor as Zechs leant in closely, his breath ghosting across Duo's cheek, flooding the shell of his ear. Zechs smirked into his fragrant hair and tentatively tongued the pulsing jugular, biting back the desire to trap his pulse between his teeth. Pliant in all the right places, from thigh to hip to shoulder, the blonde's mouth watered for a taste of the wild and lascivious 02. Zechs released his shoulders and the boy dropped down into a straddling position against the thigh he precariously planted between his knees. This left Duo with no choice but to clamp down on his shoulders, squeeze the exposed thigh for balance like an unpracticed cowboy. The broken prince's Siberian stare pierced through his resolve and he shuddered. Zechs quirked a platinum brow and he tilted his head in amused anticipation, "Are you scared?"

The danger of his instability and his purely masculine scent made Duo shiver, yes, but this was a man desperately trying to purchase control over his surroundings the way he once knew, before he lost the one thing worth dying another day for. Looking into his eyes, Duo searched them and shook his head. "Not as scared as you, Milliardo Peacecraft. A prince with no kingdom, a hero with no legacy, a husband with no wife…" The youth's eyes never faltered, not even as his feet slowly returned to the floor. Picking up his muddy boots, Duo hit the elevator button and shrugged. "Will you now walk like a corpse among the living too?"

Zechs said nothing but never looked away, not even as the doors opened and Duo backed himself into the space, waiting expectantly for a quip that never came. "Hey! I'm talking to you! Hey-!" The elevator closed and descended, ending the bitter buzz that killed the once promising evening. Duo sighed disappointedly; pulling out one of the only remnants capturing Zechs's passed happiness from one of his boots. "You're not dead yet, Zechs. If you can't see that on your own… I'll just have to damn well show you."


	4. Chapter Three

**UNDERLYING AGENDA**

**CHAPTER THREE  
><strong>

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><p>Lady Une waited until Duo's form disappear down the busy street before entering the apartment building herself, gaining access to it easily with a gentle swipe of the cardkey he had given her; for security reasons, of course. The quiet still of the recent aftermath greeted her and she calmly looked for him at first sight of the mess on the living floor.<p>

Zechs was beyond the bedroom, leaning against the balcony donning nothing but a white bath towel riding low on his waist and a bottle of bourbon in his left hand. He was regal, despite the atrocious habit he dared to form and the pain he harbored. It was no surprise to find him waiting in front of that view, for it often helped him escape the faultiness of a mind once regarded far more superior than that of any human being. The wind picked up and his bangs fluttered against his stoic expression. Tossing the sealed envelopes beside his netbook on the divan, she rested by his side quietly. "Dare I remind you?"

"No need. I fully understand that fraternization between mission directors and field agents is strictly prohibited, and you can rest assured I have no interest in entertaining such a notion with the likes of Maxwell."

Beep, beep, beep.

Zechs turned to face her as she neglected to answer it. "That subject is far from tonight's point of interest, Milliardo," she redirected.

"Oh?"

"Very much so."

Beep, beep, beep.

Pulling the phone from her jacket, she silenced it and continued unperturbed. "Despite our pasts with our contradicting objectives, the people we've lost and are now lost without, I simply wanted to articulate that if you ever require anything, anyone… " The phone rang anew and she cursed at the interruption. The caller on the other end continued to persist, even as the phone clattered loudly to the balcony floor when Zechs turned his head and kissed her. The bourbon flavored flick of his tongue inflamed her lips, her cheeks, her lonely clitoris. Pivoting swiftly on a heeled toe, she returned the endearment squarely and with the confidence that once propelled her forward in battle, to rank beside the best of them, beside her other half who now had Lucretzia Noin to keep him company.

Tenderly, he pulled away and caressed her face with his thumbs. Glancing down at their feet, he flicked an elegant brow and smiled fleetingly. "The President never quite understood the concept of voicemail." The warmth beyond her mouth continued to beckon him, just as Duo's had; except he didn't hesitate to bestow upon her several more electric kisses out of sheer human indulgence before he negated more untoward involvement. "Duty calls, Chief."

"Until Monday, Agent Wind." She took his arm and allowed him to walk her to the elevator doors, where he deposited her and offered no more than a farewell tilt of his head. "Oh, and Zechs?" As an afterthought, she halted the elevator with a beautifully bedazzled stiletto and briefly popped back in.

"Yes?"

"It's Friday night. Live a little, won't you?"

Zechs eyed her thoughtfully; the slimming pants, silver sequined top, and modern cropped jacket placing further emphasis on such delights. Despite being ill spirited as of late, he certainly wasn't completely inspired to live the life of a hermit. "In an hour?"

"In an hour."

"Ma'am," he nodded and prompted the elevator to descend.


	5. Chapter Four

**UNDERLYING AGENDA**

**CHAPTER FOUR**

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><p>Over the course of the weekend, Duo was able to discover that Chief Preventer Lady Une had taken it upon herself to lobby for jurisdiction over Preventer Fire's death investigation and had succeeded with little objection, and that Agent Water and her team of medical practitioners had personally transported the body to Tokyo to complete the autopsy.<p>

"I understand, sir… I'll see what else I can do and get back to you by the end of the week." The screen went blank and she swiftly scratched a line through _Mephobarbital_ with a tiredly sigh. "What else could I possibly prescribe you before I turn into a drug dealer?"

"Excuse me, Agent Poe?"

Closing her private ledger, Sally swiveled around and smiled tenderly. "Get lost on your way to vending, Duo Maxwell?"

Duo chuckled and shook his head, "Actually no. Can I have a quick sec?"

"Certainly," she said, inviting him into her office askance the medical research labs and closed the door behind them. "What can I do for you?"

"Lucretzia Noin. I need a copy of the autopsy report."

Sally's smile faded. "Those records have been sealed. Unless you obtain written authorization from Chief Une, I'm afraid I can't help you."

"Sealed?"

"Sealed," she repeated simply.

"Well, I'm no stranger, Sal. I'm just curious."

"And I'm late." Turning away, she busied herself with an incomplete medical report and checked her watch as if suddenly pressed for time. "Those are my orders, Agent Maxwell. If you don't like them, you can take the matter up with Une," she said firmly, trading in her regulation white lab coat for her jacket and badge. Grabbing her files, she tossed him a set of keys on her way out. "Lock up for me, will you? Thanks."

"Thank you, Sally." It didn't take long for him to find the secured document cabinet below the floorboards of Sally's desk, sealed by an electronic pass code set to trigger a silent alarm in case of a security breach. Duo pulled out his SmartVid, "Bypass the code on Agent Poe's filing cabinet, will ya?"

With a whirr and a whoosh, the lock released and the glass slid back.

The cabinet was empty.

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><p>AN: Please take the time to provide feedback. All perspectives welcome!


	6. Chapter Five

**UNDERLYING AGENDA**

**CHAPTER FIVE**

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><p>"We meet the others at Ponzu's in an hour."<p>

"Hn." Transfixed with the forty-five pages depicting the death of one of the most beloved war heroines of his time, Duo didn't even look up from the screen as he reached up to take another stack of papers from a scantily clad Heero Yuy.

He was too quick to disregard them to the far end of his cluttered desk.

Taking a look over his shoulder, Heero gazed over the familiar text with very little interest, much like when he had first read it. Duo, however, made it seem like a James fucking Patterson. "Duo. What's so fascinating?"

'Quite frankly, there's nothing spectacular about this,' Duo thought but continued on quietly.

Heero eyed the braided American and neither blinked nor faltered when he didn't acknowledge immediately. The pout on his face indicated that he was really trying his damndest to stay focused on the dry read and soak up the finer details. Unfortunately for him, there were none. Not where that report was concerned anyway. "An hour, Duo," Heero repeated, grabbing a freshly pressed button down from their shared closet. "In an hour, or you don't eat."

"Roger." Duo admired his shapely backside before he disappeared from the corner of his eye and snickered to himself, "Lucky hooker you are, Relena Peacecraft, but then again your brother's about to hit the jackpot." Warily, he turned his attention back to the computer screen, dropped his chin in his hand and sighed, "Just as soon as I figure out what the fuck is wrong with him…" Skipping through the pages illustrating the pathological methods utilized and all that other scientific mumbo-jumbo that meant nothing to Duo, he located the results and conclusions section and found it to be oddly concise narrative at the bottom of the last page.

"_After extensive examination of the circumstances detailing this case, it is the finding of this department that the victim, Lucretzia Noin Peacecraft (W/F/04.175), expired as a result of an accidental fall from a chasm approximately sixty (60) feet high. In addition to Standard Pathological Protocol (STP), a Postmortem Toxicology Assessment (PTA) was administered. Elevated blood-alcohol content (BAC) levels charted at .17* from a blood sample collected from the victim at the time of the postmortem examination further indicated that her judgment was impaired to the degree that would make an untimely death not only probable, but undeniable given the hazardous nature of the environment itself and the time of day the accident transpired; 9:00PM PST. It must also be noted that inclement weather conditions at the time of death may have further obstructed the victim's already impaired judgment and contributed to the fall." _

Duo was stunned. What on earth would possess a woman so in control and rational as Ms. Noin to act so carelessly? More importantly, when did she develop such an explicit alcohol problem? Grabbing the appendix, Duo read the methods used to calculate the BAC level and was inundated by the approximate amount of alcohol she had had to consume in order to score the level cited in the report. "No way in hell…"

At that moment, Heero reappeared with his jacket over his shoulder and keys in hand. "Last call, you coming?"

"Yeah," Duo exhaled. Swiping his wallet from the dresser, he took the keys from him and didn't hesitate to be first out the door this time around. "Waiting on you, now, buddy!"

Ironically, he could really use a drink.

Heero secured the passenger door to the company Jeep, "Find anything?"


	7. Chapter Six

**UNDERLYING AGENDA**

**CHAPTER SIX**

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><p>"The science behind it is flawless, but there haven't been enough applicable breakthroughs yet to even attempt reanimation."<p>

On the second tier, in the private dining area encased in glass and illuminated romantically by candles in sconces, Quatre Rebarba Winner and Trowa Barton exchanged meaningful glances. "I see," he said. Taking his napkin, Quatre dropped his hands into his lap. "And how much more do you require to achieve such an ambition, Doctor?"

"We estimate we'll need an additional $2,000,000,000.00," she said without a stutter. "I can assure you, however, that our successes will yield you far beyond a full financial reimbursement. Please, Quatre. You're our only hope."

"Very well, then. The amount specified will be transferred into the private account within the next few hours. Use it well, and Godspeed." Quatre signed off and handed the com unit to the waiter in exchange for two menus.

Trowa sipped his red and watched his lover momentarily as he perused the menu, "Your faith in such a project is admirable, Quatre."

Quatre smiled, "Are you really talking about my faith, or my generosity?"

"Both," Trowa said, smiling in return. "I don't think you've ever financed something you didn't truly believe was for the greater good of humanity. You have a big heart. It's what I love about you."

"Oh, Trowa…" Sliding along the half-circle seat of their cozy booth, Quatre wrapped an arm around his neck and kissed him generously. "You always know what to say to send my doubts packing, don't you?"

"I didn't know you were having any," Trowa settled an arm on the back of the seat, allowing the blonde to rest safely against his chest with a troubled sigh. Reaching up, he gingerly began stroking his fingers through the soft blonde hair. "Is it the project?"

"Oh," Quatre shrugged. "I don't think it's that at all. I suppose I'm just feeling the monotony that comes with the role of financial advisor to nearly every major company on this side of the Earth's Sphere…"

"Want to start a war?" Trowa suggested casually, smiling down to watch Quatre laugh in response. He was so beautiful when he beamed, and his laughter never failed to turn him on.

"Heaven's no, Trowa!" Quatre gave him a playful pinch in his side, but pulled him close again when he attempted to shy away from further attacks. Trowa's eyes glimmered beneath the golden light of the candles, and he was reminded of the security and pleasantness of peace when he looked into them. They never failed to humble his complaints. "Trowa, may I ask you something?"

"Ask away," he whispered back, brushing the boy's soft lips with his mouth as he spoke.

Quatre caught sight of them as they approached from the first level and gently pulled away. "Later, they're here!" he said, kissing him swiftly before he stood up to greet Heero and Duo gaily from across the room. Quatre gave Duo a fierce hug, and Heero waived to Trowa awkwardly as Quatre hugged him next while Duo laughed. Eventually, they all headed over and joined him at the table.

After they settled down and ordered, the four chatted innocuously before Duo inquired about Wufei's obvious absence. "The hell's he at anyway? Got a girlfriend we don't know about or something?" Heero shrugged disinterestedly and sipped his sake while Quatre and Trowa were at a loss. "No one bothered to invite him? Rude!"

"Wait just a minute!" Quatre defended jovially, "For your information, I left several message on his com unit days ago. Now, whether or not he wanted to be here is another matter entirely. Thank you very much."

Duo abandoned all desire to debate as the waiter set their appetizer of steamed dumplings down on the table. "Please enjoy, I will return with your entrees shortly."

"Don't mind if I do." Readying his chopsticks, Duo licked his lips and plucked one of the succulent offerings into his mouth. "Whoa, Quat! You've outdone…" The thing was fucking delicious, but strangely everyone else seemed more interested in the pair that'd just walked through the VIP entrance down below. Their noses were practically fogging up the damn glass. Duo stood up to take a look and could barely believe it. It was Zechs and Lady Une, arm in arm and dressed for it, for _all_ of it… 'Ain't that some shit,' thought Duo, a knot forming at the base of his throat.

Trowa started quietly. "No, couldn't be."

"I can assure you it is," said Quatre. "She looks extraordinarily well."

"He doesn't look half bad either," added Heero.

Duo sat back down quietly, while Quatre and Trowa seemed amused by Heero's observation. "You do realize you just complimented your old adversary, Zechs Merquise, right?"

"Well, considering how he's been carrying himself lately a night out certainly wouldn't hurt him."

Trowa laughed, and Quatre shook his head. "Just when I thought you could actually play nice…"

"Lady Une beat me to it, apparently."

"To a fucking pulp," Duo muttered, pulling his hand away from his chest as he suddenly realized the others were looking at him.

"You okay, Duo?"

"Fo' sho'!" Duo reached for his chopsticks a little too quickly and ended up knocking them- along with his empty wineglass- to the floor. "Ah piss…"

Exchanging worried glances with Trowa and Heero, Quatre reached out and grabbed Duo's arm as he made toward the floor to pick up. "It's all right, Duo. Henry'll get it, please sit back down."

"You know what?" Duo reappeared and offered them the goofiest grin he could muster, "I'm just-I'm just gonna go, you know?

"What?" Quatre counter attacked with a look of sheer disappointed. "But Duo, you've only just arrived and-…"

"Don't whine. I'll catch up with you later, 'kay?" Plucking a kiss from Quatre's worried expression he made a beeline for the door before he could utter another protest.

Quatre sat back down in bewildered silence. "What the hell was that all about?"

"It's Zechs," Heero prompted. "He's taken a serious interest in him lately, along with what happened to Noin."

"What?" Quatre exchanged another knowing glance with Trowa, before he urged Heero to continue. "How much could he know?"

Heero continued in his characteristically monotonous baritone. "What little the incident and pathological reports illustrate. He's got all the answers sitting on the edge of his desk and doesn't even realize it."

Quatre frowned, uncomfortably certain of the answer to his following question. "How the hell did he get a hold of _those_ records, I wonder."

Trowa broke in, taking Quatre's hand firmly in his own. "It doesn't matter. The objectives of the project are well concealed. Duo will never know, no matter what the records may indicate."

"I gave them to him," Heero admitted nonchalantly. "And even if he did stumble on to it, I highly doubt he'll find a project seeking to reanimate bodily organs for transplantation that lucrative anyway. What Duo wants is a puzzle to solve, relief from the tedium of living predictably."

"And he'll find it in Zechs Merquise, will he?" Henry appeared and presented them all with their entrees, but the present conversation had successfully murdered Quatre's appetite. "Something's not right," he said, placing his glass on the table decidedly. "Why him? Why now?"

"I'd be more concerned with Lady Une's intentions with the former Lightning Baron, Quatre. " Trowa savored the only bite he could muster, put down his fork, and turned to look down at the warmly conversing couple. "She alone has scores left unsettled."

Having cast aside his own hunger, Heero had leant forward and had been staring off into the candlelight for some time. "Zechs can handle himself."

Quatre rolled his eyes at Heero's well practiced indifference to the braided youth. "And what's to become of Duo? If he and Lady Une share the same objective, then he leaves a man with no intention of investing in him to decide his fate."Quatre leant in toward Heero closely, an expression of unmistakable seriousness darkening his eyes. "Without any other investments, it'll destroy him."

"Duo's more resilient than the four of us ever gave him credit for. He is no stranger to sacrificing for causes destined to yield no victory or profit." This seemed to satisfy Quatre into contemplative silence, but Trowa picked up on Heero's subtle eagerness to believe, and to convince others, that Duo truly could survive on his own.


	8. Chapter Seven

**UNDERLYING AGENDA**

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

* * *

><p>"And I'll pair the white with that, please." Lady Une exchanged the wine list for a hot towel and dismissed the waitress to smile warmly at Zechs. "Don't trouble yourself about a thing, please, order whatever your heart desires."<p>

The menu listed a great many delicacies of Japan and surrounding Pacific destinations, but Zechs hungered more for the reasoning behind Lady Une's sudden interest in his well being. He suffered nothing a couple of weeks on administrative leave wouldn't fix if he wasn't so earnest in his objections. "Lady Une," Zechs prompted, placing his menu to one side.

"Yes?" she said, wrapping her crimson lips around the black straw of her Long Island Tea as she patiently waited for a round of questioning.

"What is this really all about?"

Lady Une straightened, her lips sliding away from the straw and forming an undeterred smile. She didn't answer right away, just chose to study him with a pair of deeply humored honey brown eyes. The silence, despite the pulsing bass of the music from the dance club down the avenue, was palpable and reaching across the richly lacquered table she touched her fingers softly to his. "Answer me something honestly, Zechs. Do you find me attractive tonight?"

Sexy, fuckable, ravishing…yes. "I'm afraid I'd rather not discuss such things with my boss."

"Yes! I am your boss, but am I not also a woman?" Lady Une sprung forward and planted a smoldering kiss to his parted lips, her hand clasping his firmly as if to strengthen her demand of him to agree so that she may truly believe herself so. Lady Une wanted so desperately to fall in love with the power of her sex, and for him to show her the way.

"You seek affirmation only he could have afforded you. Why are you so rushed to strip him of such value with someone so cold and broken… as I am?"

"No…" she sighed. "You were closest to him, fashioned of his magnificence and the beauty of his ideals. In his absence, there is no other more worthy to complete was has been left unfinished."

Zechs flinched. She was starting to sound an awful lot like his sister. "I'm not my father, Relena."

"Pardon?"

"I'm not Treize, Lady Une," he said. "Nor will building companionship on a foundation of loneliness yield the happiness you seek."

"Look, I very clearly understand that in our pasts we had our differences, differences that tainted our hearts with hate and destroyed our compassion for one another. But the war is over, Zechs, and I've been blessed with the ability to realize that I was wrong about you, about Noin, even about Mister Treize, and I must redeem myself for being swept away by such pejorative falsities."

"And how do you propose to accomplish that?"

"By being the first to admit that despite having been polar opposites for the majority the time we've known each other, I find you to be one of the most incredible people I've ever known." Lady Une flushed, "And I want you… I want you so badly, for selfish and selfless reasons alike."

Zechs looked away. For the better part of his life he believed this woman to have no purely human ambitions, except for those of Treize Kushrenada and how they shaped the fantastic war that once dominated their pasts and now defined their peaceful futures. Without him, without the war, it appeared that she was every bit his equal now; lucratively employed and one of the few most eligible of high society currently without a mate. Lady Une was a woman of great intelligence and worth and naturally would demand only the best.

And yet here she was…sniffing up his tree as if it were the only one left worth pissing on.

Like hell.

There was something prompting her to act now, like this toward him, and it meant enough to her that she could bear how forced and unnatural it all felt to approach him like a woman and not his Chief in Command. Not even his anguish could mask the stench of her underlying agenda.

"Please, Zechs. Let me help you-."

"Don't." He warned, ripping his fingers away from hers. Her hands fell to the table with a forceful 'thump' that rattled the ice in their water glasses, but her expression never faltered even when he bluntly called her out. "It's a miracle you can even feign compassion for those you've been conditioned to hate all your life. What makes you think I believe you now? Even after five years buried in the ground, you can love no one but him."

The waitress returned then and placed their entrees before them, filled their glasses with wine. "Will you be requiring anything else at the moment?"

"Check please."

"Apologize to me, Zechs."

"Why should I?"

"You owe her that much," Une snapped back. Tossing her napkin on the table and sliding out of the booth, she grabbed her studded clutch and tucked it firmly beneath her arm. "If your refuse to take administrative leave, then I expect to see you in my office Monday morning to contest my allegations."

"Allegations regarding what, Chief Une?"

"How you are unfit to fulfill your duties as Mission Director. You are ill, Agent Wind, and I have your medical and psychological evaluations to prove it. Apologize."

His gaze never left hers as he procured his wallet from the back pocket of his black slacks, tossed a couple notes more than sufficient to cover their uneaten meal, and stood to tower over her. "I'll see you Monday morning, then."

"I'll give you the weekend to think it over, Zechs." With that, she turned on her heel for the car park and left him to hail down his own ride home.


	9. Chapter Eight

**UNDERLYING AGENDA**

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

* * *

><p>Duo saw her depart from the coffee shop across the street, where he had been putting the final pieces together and watched them interact over a large cup of steaming Arabica. While he had only understood Zechs's half of the conversation, he had a pretty good idea where he might be headed and quickly hailed a taxi at the nearest corner behind him.<p>

Headquarters was deathly quiet, basking in the moonlight when he arrived. Only the faint hum of personal computers and central air standing by greeted him as he made his way through the fifth floor lobby toward the seemingly still medical wing. He was relieved to find that she was still there, meticulously going through trainee research reports line by line with a red pencil in one hand and a cup of day old reheated coffee in the other. In her grey v-neck and jeans, she appeared to be at home there, in her element. The stool beside her stood empty.

_"Anybody sitting here?" _

_Sally smiled, pulled it out for her without looking up from the large volume on cellular mitosis precariously balanced in her lap. "It's going to be another long one. Care to join me?" _

_"Love to, Sal," she said, perching herself on the stool and pouring her a fresh cup of coffee. _

_"Those jeans look awfully familiar."_

_"They fit like a glove, twin," Noin winked. "Hey, I was thinking we should man up and switch to herbal tea, girl .It's getting harder and harder to sleep through the caffeine shakes." _

_"Caffeine shakes, eh? Sure it isn't the thrill of coming home to that hunk of a Mission Director every night?" _

_"Nope," she said, sneering over her shoulder. "Shakes come after." _

_Flushing a deep scarlet to the roots, Sally began to giggle. _

"What's so funny?"

Sally shrieked and fumbled to keep the book from toppling off her lap and managed to laugh through the fright it when she realized who it was. "Zechs, you startled me!"

"My apologies, Sally."

"That's a good start," she said, chuckling as she dropped the heavy book onto the lab table and invited him to sit down after clearing it a bit. "Didn't know anyone was still here. Want some coffee or something?"

"No, thank you."

"Okay." Sally sat back down across from him and quieted, patiently waiting for him to begin when he felt comfortable doing so.

"She was close…with you."

"Sure was. We spent several late nights a week together, here, in this very lab. Could hardly believe she continued even after you two got married. It didn't bother you, did it, Zechs?"

"No," he shook his head simply. "She confided in you."

"Yes."

Taking her hands, Zechs searched her face for any evidence of withheld information as he asked her, "Then…why?"

Sally shuddered at the sight of the desperation behind his normally stoic gaze, gripped his hands and could offer nothing more than a sincere shake of her head. "She didn't say anything to me, Zechs. Nothing that would explain what happened. God only knows...why."

Zechs released her and dropped his head into his hands. Would he ever see the end of this?

Kneeling down on the ground, she encircled her arms around him and closed her eyes. Even then, he couldn't weep. After a few moments, she pulled away and examined his downturned head. His hair and body were thinning alike. The dark circles were unmistakable at this angle, and she lifted his pallid face with the tenderness of a family physician. "How long has it been since you've slept a full eight? Eaten?"

"I don't know, and I doubt I'll ever sleep again."

"Stop that…" Sally cooed, tenderly brushing his platinum fringe to more clearly reveal his tired gaze. "You've got to pull yourself together, Zechs. What would Noin think to see you just roll over and die like this?" Motivating him to stand, Sally led him to her office where she took his blood pressure, weight (or lack thereof), and other vitals before prescribing him one last attempt at inner peace: "Administrative leave."

Bullocks, Zechs thought.

"Six weeks at the very least," she said quite seriously, smoothing the tension from his brows with comforting sweeps of her thumbs. "Won't do you any good to fight me on this one, you need the rest. Well?"

This day left him no more energy to protest anyway. "Yes, very well…"

The golden blonde smiled, "Good. I'll forward the recommendation to Une first thing Monday morning." She then noticed his manner of dress and quirked a brow. "Did you wear this to work today? Looks awfully posh."

Zechs bristled. "No. Against my better judgment I went out this evening," he looked up into her face as she paused her writing, finding curiosity written there, "with Lady Une."

Dropping her pen, Sally placed a hand on her hip. "Was it on your terms?"

"No. She asked me."

"Was it regarding your position as Mission Director?"

"After I rejected her invitation to become her lover, yes, my role as Mission Director became a more suitable topic of conversation."

"Living proof that woman once had testicles. Great BIG ones." Sky blue eyes turned stormy as she inquired further very carefully, "And?"

"Lady Une believes me to be seriously ill and unfit to carry out my duties. So, I either take administrative leave or forsake my position indefinitely." Wounding his hair into a tight fist, Zechs tossed it roughly behind his shoulders and stood. "I'm afraid I don't really care either way," he said, placing a chaste kiss to her cheek and squeezing her shoulders tenderly. "Fuck it."

"Quite the contrary, I think you do," Sally said, handing him his prescription on his way out. "Or else you'd be sleeping with Dr. Jekyll and Mrs. Vindictive Ultimatum."

Zechs turned and smiled thoughtfully, "I thought her as more of Disney witch myself. Nicely put."

"Take two and call me in the morning, doc's orders!" Sally waved him off with a shake of her head and scoffed. A widower barely a year and that ol' basket case was already pawing at him. "If that isn't enough to make you turn over in your grave, Lu, I'm dying to know what will."

* * *

><p>AN: Thank you for staying tuned! Please, don't forget to leave feedback.


	10. Chapter Nine

**UNDERLYING AGENDA**

**CHAPTER NINE**

* * *

><p>Duo wasn't sure what time he had finally passed out, but the creak in his neck and the smell of breakfast wafting from the kitchen was enough to motivate him to get up off the carpet and start his Saturday at the ungodly hour of 7:00AM. After a long shower, he grabbed a comb and headed downstairs where Heero and a plate of eggs, bacon, and toast alongside a tall glass of OJ awaited him.<p>

"Morning," Duo murmured groggily, handing Heero his comb in exchange for a fork. "What time did you get in?"

"1:00AM."

"Hm," he managed, quickly shoving fluffy eggs and bacon into his mouth.

Heero bided his time, combing through and plaiting his drying hair while he finished up with his plate. "There's enough for three in case you want seconds."

"Thanks…" Duo said, putting down his fork beside the empty glassware. Grabbing his SmartVid, he began to fiddle with it pensively before the floodgates finally collapsed. "I read it; Noin's medical history."

Tying off his braid, Heero sat down beside him and nodded quietly.

Duo's jaw dropped in silent desperation, awestruck by the lack of urgency. Then again, this was Heero Yuy. "What the fuck, Heero? Why doesn't anyone tell him the truth?"

"It's none of our business to do so, Duo."

"What about Relena?"

"I have no right to speak on her behalf."

Duo looked incredulous, "Are you telling me she's know the truth for almost a year and has never thought to tell Zechs?"

"I'm sure she has. She's just as concerned about Zechs's well being as you are, but things have been difficult with him for all of us, and the opportunity to discuss the matter from any angle simply hasn't lent itself yet."

"There's no time like the present, pal." Duo said, scoffing at the thought that Zechs and Relena were cut from the same stone. "What the hell is she waiting for? The moron…"

"I'll sort out Relena. What are you planning on doing about it?"

"I'm not going to let him rot with unnecessary guilt," he said, clearing his dishes before heading into the hallway to fish out the car keys from Heero's coat pocket. "I may not be blood, but I sure as hell ain't a goddamned coward."

Leaning against the kitchen doorframe, Heero watched him lace up his boots and knew all too well the chaos that ensued when Duo acted haphazardly on his emotions. Tact was something he needed to master if he intended on conquering Zechs Merquise. "This isn't the time, Duo. Not like this."

"What's the alternative? Sit by like the rest of y'all waiting while Zechs slowly self-destructs? Hell no! If I'm damned either way, then I say to hell with it. He deserves to know."

"And how will you explain your sources? Medical records are strictly confidential, Duo, and no part of the investigation gave the Preventers or the Vice Foreign Minister any jurisdiction to access them."

"I highly doubt that'll be his greatest concern at this point, Heero." Duo ripped his jacket off the hanger and kicked the front door shut as he exited. Agent Poe fully confirmed Heero's claim at last night's little psychotherapy session. It appeared that no one other than the aforementioned had any idea about Noin's medical history, or its potential to blow the whole case wide open.

Climbing into the jeep, Duo anchored the key into the ignition and paused abruptly. He colored with the shame of having eavesdropped on such a private conversation between two close friends. Hell. Sally was more like family to Zechs than Relena only hoped to be. "Cowardly bitch… You may have been Queen of the World, but you sure as hell don't deserve to have the pleasure of being Zechs's saving grace." Sally alone seemed to be the only safe and trustworthy individual to relay the truth, with her credentials and all, but something in Duo didn't completely fall in love with that idea either.

It needed to come from someone Zechs personally selected. Someone Zechs deemed worthy of his emotional investment instead of the other way around. Someone he trusted to be telling him this God awful truth with no underlying agenda, and to guarantee support when it rips him apart thereafter.

Pulling out the quickly crinkling wedding photo again, Duo recalled the incredible memory it captured and felt his determination newly restore. "Mission accepted."


	11. Chapter Ten

**UNDERLYING AGENDA**

**CHAPTER TEN**

* * *

><p>When Zechs awoke, the housekeeper had come and gone. The remnants of the defunct photo frames swept into paper bags and disposed of in the alleyway dumpster along the way back to her car. Grabbing a bottle of Perrier from his fridge, Zechs eyed the album she left sitting atop the mantle and took a hydrating sip before walking over to it. It was quiet and harmless, and yet he hesitated to disturb it. With a quivering breath, he abandoned the bottle and cracked it open.<p>

_"What say you, Lightning Count? Do we make a handsome pair, or what?" _

For the first time in nearly a year, Zechs more than acknowledged the pictures.

He remembered the memories.

"We sure did…" Zechs turned the page, the sound of lace sliding along the curves of her body echoing through him as he touched his fingers to the smooth, glossy surface of the shores captured there. "Mongibello…"

"Where are you seeking to depart from, sir?"

"Tokyo, Japan."

"When, sir?"

"An hour ago." Filling his leather carry on, Zechs slipped it onto his shoulder, grabbed his papers, keys, and reached the elevator just as it signaled a passenger was imminent.

The unopened prescription bottle waited.

When Zechs awoke, the housekeeper had come and gone. The remnants of the defunct photo frames swept into paper bags and disposed of in the alleyway dumpster along the way back to her car. Grabbing a bottle of Perrier from his fridge, Zechs eyed the album she left sitting atop the mantle and took a deep breath before walking over to it. It was quiet and harmless, and yet he didn't hesitate to discard it along with the empty bottle to the bottom of his designer trashcan.

TAKE TWO (2) TABLET(S) BY MOUTH AT BEDTIME.

When Zechs awoke, the housekeeper had come and gone. The remnants of the defunct photo frames swept into paper bags and disposed of in the alleyway dumpster along the way back to her car. That was hours ago and he had heard it all. Insomnia kept him awake while he slept, never one or the other, and it only afforded him with enough revitalization to piss, shit, and vomit on the rare occasion he afforded some of that precious energy to eat.

He could care less about a photo album, about any one thing, and in that single moment of utter carelessness… he grabbed the bottle and swallowed the ninety day supply with mouthful of lukewarm bathwater.

When Zechs fell, the housekeeper had come and gone. The remnants of the defunct photo frames swept into paper bags and disposed of in the alleyway dumpster along the way back to her car hours before he had finally collapsed.


	12. Chapter Eleven

**UNDERLYING AGENDA**

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

* * *

><p>Monday<p>

8:43AM

Entering quietly into her corner office, Agent Yuy relayed the update as instructed by Agent Chang. "All the agents and staff have assembled in the theatre for the briefing, Une."

"And Agent Wind?"

"No."

Lady Une reclined back in her chair with her precariously manicured fingers steepled against her apprehensive mouth, "He's late."

"Thirteen minutes," Heero confirmed.

Lady Une scoffed and ushered him away with a flick of her hand as she swiveled her chair to face the other direction. This meant the Vice Foreign Minister and President of the Earth's Sphere were due to arrive in precisely seventeen minutes. "Would it kill you to oblige me just once? Miserable malcontent…"

Exiting, Heero met up with Sally and Duo who stood idling outside the door. Sally spoke first, "What's the story? Did he call in?

Prussian blue met cobalt, "Negative."

Sally frowned. Moving to the window, she gazed out intently for a familiar black coupe approaching from the expressway and had a sinking feeling something wasn't right. "It's not like Zechs to run late without notifying someone. Did anyone speak to him over the weekend?"

"None of us have, not since Friday."

Sally dismally admitted that "neither have I…"

"I knew I should have followed my better judgment." Duo turned to Heero, "How much time?"

"Fifteen minutes."

"We'll confirm in ten," he said, starting down the hall towards the elevators. "Sally, let's hit it!"

Along the way, Sally attempted to reach him by phone several times and only got his answering machine and voicemail. "No answer."

"Try again."

"I already told you, the damn thing's not responding," Sally growled, punching the call button again. "We'll have to take the stairs all the way to the top."

"We don't have enough time for that," Duo answered, making quick work of pulling apart the keypad and handing her a bypass device. "Punch in the apartment code when I tell you."

Sally nodded, "Right." The apparatus was familiar to her, and when it turned green she expertly entered the eight digit floor code. The elevator dinged multiple times and Sally looked up, "There are five floors wanting this elevator first, Duo."

"Negative. The reprogramming won't let it out of our sight until we know Zechs is safe." With that, the elevator began its steady ascend. When it reached the top, signaled its arrival and opened its doors, neither wasted anytime.

They flooded the apartment.

"Zechs?" Sally called out, rushing down the hall. The bedroom was empty, the bathroom practically unlived in. "Duo, there's no sign of him!" Sally quickly checked the balcony on her way back through the bedroom, found Zechs absent there as well, and rushed back toward Duo's quiescent form. He was facing the darkened living room, and she slowed her approach as he broke the stillness to turn on the overhead light.

Duo crouched down beside him and checked his pulse, "He's still alive. He…" Beneath the clammy left hand, he snagged an empty pill bottle with the butt of his pen and felt his heart collapse with the weight of his deepest fears. "The fuck has he done…?"

"Failed," Sally replied. "Come on; help me carry him to bed."

These orders came from a professional, but Duo hesitated rather stupidly despite his own traumatic history. "Shit, Sal. Shouldn't we be taking him to the hospital or something?"

"And tell them what, Duo? That the present Mission Director of the Preventers Organization took administrative leave in time to botch his own suicide? Right, wait till that gets around. Grab his arms." Sally shook her head, sending her golden twists tumbling over her shoulders as she leant over and grabbed Zechs's legs. Duo did what she asked rather agilely with limbs secretly shaking while she went on. "I've played his physician and pharmacist for nearly a year, for fuck's sake. I've watched him progress from bad to worse in less than that. I knew damn well it was only a matter of time before something like this…would…happen!" Taking the sheet and duvet between her fingers, she pulled them over his naked body and plopped down beside Zechs with a vigorous huff. Duo watched as she ever so gently touched a pinky to his temple and swept away the heavy strands of flaxen hair to reveal his handsome face. Though very grey it was, and possibly belonging to a dead man, Duo felt an immense pleasure looking upon on it even now.

"He's more than a patient, you see." Sally spoke in delicate whispers, careful to not disrupt his precious slumber now that it no longer eluded him. "He's my friend," she confessed, "and if I lost another I simply couldn't bear it…" Sally left for the kitchen and Duo followed, took the glass of wine she abruptly offered him. "It wouldn't be fair," she finished. Throwing back her half glass quickly, she grabbed her shoulder bag and told him to stay put until Zechs awoke. He simply couldn't be alone when he did, she said.

"Right." Duo reset the elevator, quietly set his belongings on the counter next to the empty glasses. "What would you call it, then, Sally?"

"Damned selfish," she said, pressing the button to the lobby. "So, I started giving him placebos."


	13. Chapter Twelve

**UNDERLYING AGENDA**

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

* * *

><p>The downpour began not long after she departed. It beat down on the glass walls so violently that it turned the view of downtown into an abstract rendition in watercolor. Dropping his boots by the door, Duo shrugged out of his jacket and made a short call to Heero before he abandoned the phone on the coffee table and sat down with a discontented sigh.<p>

"How long will y'all be gone for?"

"_One week, approximately. And you?" _

"I don't know. Sally just said not to leave him."

A strange clamor had him rushing back into the bedroom several hours later, fighting against the elements and rain ruined drapery to secure the balcony door before it swung its final time.

The impact breakage marring the custom glass reminded Duo of how fragile life could be if tried one too many times.

The light of the bedside lamp revealed that some color had returned to Zechs's cheeks, and Duo found the ruddy shade comforting among all the ashen hues of the apartment. Duo looked around. Beside the king bed were two matching bedside tables of black lacquered wood, a silver digital clock adorning one. A partnering chest of drawers sat across from it with a Samsung HDTV mounted on the alpine white wall above. No films, no music. Beside the balcony doors sat a single, low bearing chair, its dark upholstery making its modern design appear misshapen and demonic. No dog-eared books nearby, no toed off slippers. It was all entirely pedestrian. No warmth, uninviting, completely devoid of personality. Duo turned back to the sleeping prince and thoughtfully tilted his head. It made him all the more uniquely striking.

The bathroom was equally dismal, but the towels were surprisingly fluffy and soft and Duo reveled in it as he swept it across his wet face and bangs. Cotton was a treat on L2. And so was Redken texturizing shampoo, weightless conditioner, and invigorating body wash. The combination of mint and ginseng were heavenly. They reminded him of Zechs. With a devious smirk and twinkle in his eye, Duo slowly began unbuttoning his work shirt and removed the rest of his clothes as the water heated up. Mindful of the sleeping blonde, Duo decidedly left the bathroom and shower door open and watched him over his shoulder while he pulled apart his braid. The moment he was engulfed by the multi-head luxury shower system from all sides, however; Duo Maxwell, Gundam Pilot 02, briefly escaped from his harsh realities just as his temporary ward came to.

Nausea had quietly trickled in for some time. It flooded his consciousness until it viciously ripped him from his sleep. Sliding across the perspiring tiles, instinct propelled him to the toilet with vomit already bursting passed his lips, turning a peculiar color as it mixed with the blood that began seeping from his chin. He knew not he had split it open on the ceramic rim, even when his knees gave out and he fell unceremoniously before it. Organs shook with each tremor, threatening to be dislodged and dispatched through the raw and constricted esophagus with every violent heave. Sweat and salty tears coated him liberally but failed to cool his quickly overheating body, and when the last vestiges of strength and focus fell away, he found himself rescued by a force entirely independent of his pitiable fate.

The sudden movement of a second figure through the textured glass startled Duo into action, and he abandoned the shower and reached the fallen royal just as his painful grip slipped from the soiled bowl. "I've got you…" Duo secured an arm around him and tenderly wiped his sweaty brow clean of his matted fringe with the other, stilled by what he discovered. "Oh shit, but you're fucking scalding." With only a few precious moments to act, Duo abandoned all grace and quickly hauled him into the stall and adjusted the shower to run cold while he upended the kitchen in search of something, anything to help cool him down. With three cold-packs in hand, Duo returned and joined him beneath the freezing spray. "You're turn, Zechs," he said, forcing the lethargic blonde into a sitting position. Placing two against his chest he guided Zechs to hold them firmly against his core. "Stay with me and hold them there," he commanded, anchoring the other against his shoulder and letting Zechs's head fall back until the base of his neck rested there. The water was freezing as were Duo's limbs, but his lips, also his equal, never lied. Pressing them against Zechs's temple, Duo quietly gauged his temperature. It was still alarmingly elevated. Cradling him steadily between his arms and legs, Duo shut his eyes and forced his mind to leave his body, the cold, the fear.

Forty-five minutes later and nearly hypothermic, Duo gratefully turned off the water and ripped an idle towel from the shower door to wrap around Zechs's shoulders. "About damn time," Duo whispered, pearly whites chattering as he smiled against his much cooler skin. He managed to haul Zechs's out of the stall and back into bed where he didn't think twice about jumping in behind him to start generating some serious heat. Pressing his cheek flush against the blonde's, Duo cocooned him in on all sides and gave a contented sigh as the prickly feeling of blood returning to his extremities lulled him to sleep.

* * *

><p>AN: Thanks again for reading! Please review! All feedback welcome.


	14. Chapter Thirteen

**UNDERLYING AGENDA**

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

* * *

><p>It was still dark when Sally called him with strict instructions to report for duty first thing in the morning. With Agent Yuy on temporary leave to assist the Vice Foreign Minister with the prevention talks in South Africa, Lady Une was becoming increasingly suspicious and she was running out of viable explanations to justify the absence of his Second in Command. Quickly, he dressed and tidied up the kitchen before fetching the bottle of anti-nausea tablets Sally had left in Zechs's deposit box. Alongside them and an unopened bottle of water, he also left a note briefly detailing the night's events and apologizing for the shampoo. He added his phone number as an afterthought, signed it, and strolled home in the beauty of the vanishing night. He arrived back at the bungalow with just enough time to shower, change, and grab something to eat before he was out the door all over again.<p>

"This is Maxwell." Despite the changes in the management lineup, the office was as busy and as monotonous as ever. Evidently, all the hullaballoo Lady Une made was simply for the hell of it because Duo was back to paper pushing the moment he settled into his cubicle. Duo found himself wishing and a praying and a hoping she'd march up to him and thrown down a challenge because at this point this officious rut was becoming counterproductive. Transferring the call, Duo dropped the phone and resisted the urge to hang himself from the rafters with his own braid.

The damn thing never stopped ringing, and after three consecutive weeks of this it continued rattling his brain even after five o'clock. "Honey, I'm home!" Kicking off his boots, Duo tossed his uniform over the back of the couch and sighed heavily at the following silence. "That's the sound of bloody singlehood; fucking deafening." After the initial week of talks, Relena had extended their trip an additional two weeks by conducting impromptu follow ups in the UK and Ireland, and without Heero around reality trickled into nearly every aspect of Duo's life; he was as single as they come with no potential matches and a job that fucking sucked! "Oh Christ, and I'm living with a straight man who babysits me with baked goods." He sighed again, snatched the basket of chocolate muffins off the counter, and annihilated them without mercy in front of the TV, letting up only long enough to dig for his phone lost between the seat cushions. By the time he found it a call was missed from an unknown number. "Damn telemarketers," he cursed, tossing the phone off to the side and planting back down in the ass dent he'd formed over the last several days. "Now, where was I-...?"

ONE NEW MESSAGE(S)

The jingle was a hundred times familiar, but this time it was enough to cut right through the sloth. Cupping the phone with both hands, Duo accessed his voicemail box and put it on speaker.

"_Hello Mr. Maxwell, this is Troy Hardenberg calling on behalf of Mr. Merquise. He would very much like it if you'd join him for lunch at _L'Amitie_ this coming Saturday at 12:30PM. If this proposition is a possibility for you, please return my call at your earliest convenience…" _


	15. Chapter Fourteen

**UNDERLYING AGENDA**

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

* * *

><p>Having his Personal Assistant forward the invite was rather pretentious, but Duo didn't hesitate to jot down the number and call to confirm that he'd be in attendance. It had been almost a month since Zechs's attempted suicide and he hadn't really heard anything apart from the occasional update from Sally. Things had vastly improved, she'd said, and Duo sincerely entertained no doubts. Having hit rock bottom and survived, the worst was over and the only direction Zechs had to go was in a positive one. This restored Duo's faith in his mission to tell him of his discoveries surrounding Noin's death. With each passing day Zechs would come closer to fully seceding from the pain of her loss, and Duo's task that much more trivial. If he waited too long it could be detrimental to Zechs's progress, and yet he could hinder it by being too hasty.<p>

Lo and behold the first lesson in tactfulness, and it kicked-off with the unexpected arrival of an organically attractive middle-aged Englishman with hazel eyes.

Duo idled by the front door, uncertain. "Yes?"

"Duo Maxwell?"

"Yes." Duo glanced behind him where a couple of shaded suits and a limousine awaited. "Who wants to know?"

"Troy Hardenberg," he said, extending a hand and smiling when Duo stepped out and shook it firmly in return. "Mr. Merquise wished me to extend his deepest apologies regarding the sudden change of plans. He was unexpectedly called to the United States, where he is currently relocating, and would like it very much if you joined him at his new home in Napa Valley, California." Troy offered him a charming smile along with an envelope containing a first class ticket and a Visa card in Zechs's name. "Shall we, sir? The flight leaves promptly at 1:00PM."

Without further delay, Duo grabbed his jacket, wallet, and house keys and made quick work of locking up. "Lead the way, handsome."

On the way to the airport, Mr. Hardenberg went over the itinerary and explained that upon arrival in Los Angeles, and prior to the connecting flight, he was to be allotted two hours to shop for whatever he required during his stay and encouraged him to purchase a pair of riding boots and britches, specifically. "You will then be flown by private aircraft to Napa Valley, where a third car will pick you up and drive you to Mr. Merquise's vineyard. Do you have any questions, Mr. Maxwell?"

This was so unbelievable that Duo could only smile and shake his head.

"Very well, sir. Enjoy your holiday."

"Thank you." Duo sipped the glass of champagne offered to him while boarding continued and watched as the airport personnel loaded the luggage onto the aircraft. He had pinched himself numerously between the time Troy had arrived and being seated on the plane, and he still couldn't believe this was happening. Just days ago he'd only been hoping for a phone call from Zechs, and now he was taking an all expense paid minibreak to the U.S courtesy of the man himself. "Holy shit…" The stewardess responded to his page lightning fast and was blessedly happy to help ease his flight anxiety. After a couple of Jack and Cokes, Duo couldn't care less what Zechs's motives were and held up pretty well until he awoke to find he had slept through the _entire_ flight and was being ushered through the crowded terminals by another pair of suits. "What the hell was in that drink?" They arrived at a nearby shopping mall not long after, where Duo bought his basics and a few other things in record time among all the hustle and bustle of sun kissed and posh individuals. He was assured that all necessary toiletries would be provided upon arrival in Napa Valley.

Troy Hardenberg hadn't been waiting long at the private airstrip to accompany him on the short car ride to their final destination. The air was crisp and warm, and the afternoon sun seemed to set all the leaves on fire. "It's quite beautiful, isn't it? When the leaves change color like that. An endless romance can be experienced here, Mr. Maxwell, one that never dies. It renews itself with the changing of the seasons, year after year, doing wonders on any ailment."

"That explains a lot…" Duo listened as he gazed out the open window, a thrill coursing through him at the familiar shape of grapevine rows hidden behind the foliage. It thinned in seconds revealing row after row. They were nearly endless, like witnessing an undiscovered sea.

"Welcome, sir, to the San Marquis Vineyard."

The rows receded at the base of a beautifully manicured slope, and there at its highest point, sat a breathtaking Tuscan estate. The two story edifice- with its tiled roof, dramatic arches, timber accents, and walls of overgrown ivy- seduced the young American. It was an otherworldly grandiosity and he'd never seen anything like it. As they proceeded beyond the gate and along the private drive, he was further transfixed by the sight of the live cattle inhabiting the surrounding acreage. The driver parked beneath the carport and unloaded Duo's purchases with Mr. Hardenberg's gracious help, and Duo found his limbs sluggish as he exited the car and over toward an accent balcony just a few feet away. The property surrounded him for miles it seemed, and the colors were indeed striking. It was like capturing the sunlight kissing the flora and fruit, the warm golden brown and cool chestnut hues of the painted horses in liberal strokes of oil.

The car circled around and broke him from his trance, and Duo turned and followed the awaiting Englishman awkwardly through a tall pair of double doors. "I've been told that Mr. Merquise has been out riding for the better part of the afternoon and shan't be returning for another hour or so. Therefore, I will take it upon myself to show you to your room. This way, please." Duo followed him through the foyer and up the oak staircase, ogling every second of the way. Unlike Zechs's previous apartment, this place was stylish and reeked of rustic taste. The walls were textured and the color of warm beige and easily illuminated by the natural light that spilled from the floor-to-ceiling windows. Where there were no gleaming hardwood floors there was soft carpet or cool tile. "Here we are. I do hope you find yourself well accommodated here, sir." Placing his bags carefully on the queen bed, Troy cracked open the balcony doors to air out the room a bit before turning back to him expectantly. "May I help you unpack, Mr. Maxwell?"

"Huh?" Purely distracted, Duo flushed and shrugged. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Would you like me to help you unpack, sir?"

"Oh no, it's cool," he said, shaking his head gregariously. "You've been super nice and I couldn't possibly be any more of a bother to you. I'll do it. How about just telling me when Zech- I mean, Mr. Merquise arrives and we call it a day?"

"As you wish, Mr. Maxwell." Troy nodded and strode towards the exit. "Should you require anything else in the mean time, Cecile and Iris will be happy to oblige you. Simply dial their respective numbers on the COM unit by the bed there. Good evening, sir."

"Thanks, man. Have a good one." After unpacking what little he'd bought, he wondered into the bathroom and nearly tripped over his own jaw. "What the-! Is that my actual deodorant?" Digging through the familiar toiletry bag, he found exactly what he had left back at the bungalow including his crappy ass shampoo. "Awe hell, I thought I'd be rid of you for good."

"Not quite that easily I'm afraid."


	16. Chapter Fifteen

**UNDERLYING AGENDA**

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN**

* * *

><p>Whipping around, Duo fell silent at the initial sight of him before he broke out into some kind of crazy rallying call and flung himself at him. Despite all the years of knowing this crazy, he could never fully prepare himself for the landing and this time was no different. They took the shower caddy down with them into the claw foot bathtub and a bottle of eccentrically fragrant body butter, for the lack of the better term, exploded where their bodies came together. Duo snorted, unable to see through the thick substance caught in his lashes and grinned in his general direction.<p>

Heero wiped the back of his hand across his mouth, looked at him, and shook his head. "This ain't hot," he deadpanned, cracking a smile as Duo fell into uncontrollable laughter. With gentle sweeps of his thumbs he revealed the laughter in his eyes. Duo was lying directly on top of him, his lips so near to Heero's that he could taste his sweet breath. He fell silent rather abruptly and could only stare at those Prussian blues. Heero touched his fingers to the base of his braid and stared right back. "We've known each other a long time, haven't we?"

"We sure have. Since, like, before you could talk."

"You showed me," he continued, thumbing a coppery strand, "the charm behind the spoken word. Did you know this?"

"Did I? Well, I guess that should come to no surprise considering I have a bottomless word bank and no filter." The butterflies were slowly being smothered by the sludgy uneasiness quickly flooding his lower belly. This wasn't pure reminiscence. This was his vain attempt to ease the weight of reality with what Duo couldn't have back; past happiness. The only thing he knew for sure was that Gundam Pilot 01 was losing his characteristic edge, and the goddamned bitch at the forefront of the assault.

He never taught Heero how to lie.

The intercom by the bed sounded. _"Mr. Merquise and Ms. Peacecraft-Dorlian have returned, Mr. Maxwell. Dinner will be served in the formal dining room in fifteen minutes."_

Neither of them moved. The all anticipated reunion- with its perfectly ripe, voluptuous backdrop- was wilting, decomposing, rotting, rapidly. That was the price of falling victim to artificial bliss and being brave enough to demand the truth, even if it stole away all existence of happiness and rendered it to distant memory once again.

Why am _I_ really _here_? Duo waited.

"Relena and I are getting married," Heero divulged monotonously.

And waited.

"She's pregnant. She wanted her brother to be the first to know."

Ever since the end of the war, between paper pushing, denying the slowly decaying mind of his best friend, and pursuing a man more interested in committing necrophilia than screwing his warm hole, Duo found plenty of time to work on his patience. This was the final exam.

Duo squinted, "And…?"

"I decided that if we're going to be disclosing this type of information you should know, too."

"How considerate of you," he retorted. Carefully, Duo climbed up and out of the tub and offered him a hand that swiftly turned on him the moment his feet were firmly on the ground. Heero went tumbling back into the cluttered tub and Duo was out of sight by the time his vision cleared.

"_Attention ladies and gentle, Flight 167 to Tokyo is now boarding at Gate 11. We will begin seating all first class passengers only at this time, please." _

In the miasmic turmoil of disappointment and anger, Duo had booked a center seat in coach nowhere near an exit. After stealing his precious M3 and driving it _all _the way to LAX like a bat out of hell, he couldn't see the harm in upgrading a non-refundable ticket with the credit card the owner himself had issued him. It'd probably make him feel better.

"Yeah whatever…" The aluminum needles of Duo's generic plastic watch read 12:10AM. By this time the knocked-up-out-of-wedlock Prime Minister Peacecraft-Dorlian was probably mulling over the most satisfying ways to kill him while riding his best friend, and it tickled the most primitive part of his existence fucking pink to think she'd bleed him, real quiet like, with her own bare hands and gulp down his last breath just as it escaped his ashen lips. And her brother, well, he was probably strutting down the wide corridor of a typical international airport looking like he fucking owned the place and all the people in it. He was coming directly toward him, too, and Duo sat up. "Frickin' fuck, no way."

Zechs halted before him and Duo could perfectly picture the iciness in his gaze even from behind his darkly tinted sunglasses just by his posture; hands resting by his sides, shoulders square, back perfectly symmetrical. Duo was less than pleased and slouched back into his seat, "At ease, Warden."

"Join me for a drink before you go?"

God gives you what you need, not what you want.

Zechs halted before him, and Duo could perfectly picture his cool gaze even from behind his darkly tinted sunglasses just by his posture; weight to one side, hands casually tucked into well tailored Armani slacks, pushing the matching jacket off just enough to appreciate the fitted V-neck and the bit of sculpted chest peaking from behind the thin cotton. "Join me for a drink before you go?"

"You came all the way down here just to ask me that?"

"Actually, the only guarantee of coming after you was getting my car back," Zechs said, unperturbed. "However, I'll have you know that you were the only guest I invited over this weekend and I intend to keep my word on seeing you through a good time. Never mind that I'm already covering the expenses of your great escape." Duo found himself stupefied by the smile that bloomed across Zechs's face. The combination of pearly whites, supple lips, and the definitive jaw was close to godliness. "And what looks to be this lackluster getaway, too."

"I'm not going back," Duo stated firmly. "The sight of my best friend permanently coupled with your conniving little bitch of a sister makes me feel icky."

"All the more reason to accept my offer," Zechs said, offering the slouching braided vagabond a hand. "You have my sympathy regarding Yuy because I wholeheartedly agree with you. And if you reconsider, I promise that the ghastly pair will be entirely irrelevant during your stay."

Duo looked at the hand, the elegant fingers, and flicked a brow coyly, "Planning to keep me up past my bedtime, are you?" In truth, he found it all kind of exciting. Exceedingly so when compared to the uneventful life back at home, which would still be there waiting whether he went home now or later. Eh, why not delay the inevitable? Don't most people want to do that anyway? "And where exactly do you plan on taking me?"

"Anywhere that suits you is agreeable with me."

"_Any_where?"

"That's what I said."

Tossing the keys directly into his hand, Duo led the way back to the parking garage and climbed into the once abandoned coupe. "First things first," he said, strapping himself in. "I need fuel."

"Indeed, you must be starved." They were on the major highway in minutes with dining choices flowing endlessly on either side of them. "What do you feel like?"

"Not sure. Partial to anything?"

"No, I'm going to leave it entirely up to you."

"Entirely?" Duo tested him again.

"That's what I said."

All smiles, Duo approached the counter. "Big Mac and Coke, please. Upsized."

The attendant rang up the order before looking expectantly at Zechs. "And what can I get you, sir?"

"Nothing for me, thank you."

"That'll be $8.65," she said, handing Duo a mega-huge cup he went off to fill with fizzy HFCS while Zechs completed the transaction.

They sat down in a booth by the window all of two seconds when his meal arrived. Duo annihilated in less than that. "Damn, but I was starved! Thank you, Zechs."

"You're welcome."

Duo took another gulp of his soda and smiled at him, "You don't eat fast food do you?"

"Not often, no."

"Why, cause it's bad for you?"

"No, I like hamburgers. I just prefer them made-to-order and less chewy."

That made sense, but Duo laughed and shook his head. "I find that hard to believe," he said. "I mean, I can't see you eating with your hands."

"Really?" he asked curiously, grabbing an uneaten fry hidden beneath carton and taking a bite, then another until the salty remnants was all that was left of its existence. Zechs swiftly gathered the crystalline bits from his finger with his tongue and it was done. Duo thought he'd imagined it all. "May I ask why?"

"It looks off the charts for starters. Plus, I can feel the hum of the bass even through this bimmer." Duo looked to Zechs who calmly inspected the club in question through the tinted windshield and gently elbowed him in the shoulder. "You're not allergic to a little booty poppin' fun are you?"

On the contrary, Zechs thought. He was thoroughly amused that out of all the clubs and lounges on this strip he'd chosen this particular establishment. It had the potential to end badly, but he was a man of his word and had no intention of talking Duo out of anything tonight. Besides, whether he liked the place or not would speak volumes about his person without the need for mundane conversation. Pulling through the cobblestone underpass for valet parking, Zechs only smirked and got out of the car.

This guy's crazier than me, Duo thought excitedly, finally getting out to find admission already gained despite the lengthy line of exasperated people still waiting. "You've been here before, haven't you? Damn!"

To sustain the mystery, Zechs shook his head. "He recognized me from the War apparently," he said with a dismissive shrug, purposely allowing the flow of the crowd to keep Duo just ahead of him. The flow split at a descending and ascending staircase and Zechs smiled when Duo chose the latter direction towards the attractive bar and lounge area where they could get a drink, mingle with some people effortlessly over the music, and appreciate the vast and glittering commotion of the dance floor below.

"What I tell ya? Sick!" Duo half-shouted over his shoulder to Zechs as they waited for the barkeep to approach.

"I'll drink to that," he said, handing the handsome David Beckham look-alike his credit card. "I'll have a double Jack on the rocks, and Duo?"

"Same pretty please," Duo said, openly flirting back with the obviously intrigued bartender with a wink of his own. Zechs caught it but played it off like he hadn't, his own intrigue increasing as Duo handed him his drink, clinked glasses their glasses together, and took a confident sip of the amber liquor. "Yeah, buddy! It never fails."

"What's that?"

Duo threw back the rest of whiskey and signaled for another before smiling lasciviously at his sheer blonde companion. "The hair, man. It's like an aphrodisiac! "

Zechs chuckled, "That a fact?"

"You bet your heavy love eggs it is," he laughed, tossing the ice of his second emptied glass around in his mouth. Incredible how the club scene inspired one to throw all caution to the wind. "I find it hard to believe you wouldn't be familiar with the concept, Blondie."

"What are you implying, Mr. Maxwell?" Zechs asked, arctic eyes gazing evenly at him over the rim of his glass as he took a long, cooling sip.

"Don't be dense, Z-Man. Both men and women hone in on it like Georgians to AC in July. It's like a fucking phenomenon or something."

On the opposite side of the room stood a young lady who appeared to be looking over in their direction as if she recognized one of them. It had to be Duo, Zechs thought, because he didn't have a clue who she was. From his vantage point over Duo's shoulder he watched her cave beneath the curiosity and finally walk over. "Why don't you give that mouth a rest? Someone's coming over."

"What, behind me?"

"That's right. Don't be rude and turn around."

"No," he said, shifting his weight to allow the end of his braid to swish teasingly across his good looking ass. "Let her come all the way over and properly play with this puppy."

That was a new one. "Well, just don't go licking her in the mouth." Zechs turned to order another drink just as she closed in to give them the opportunity to interact without crowding up his game.

"Duo? Is that you, Duo?"

"Huh?" The moment he realized who she was it was clearly game OVER. This wasn't entirely a novice sweet tart. Utterly blindsided, Duo could only stare at her for a good twelve seconds before she flung her laughing self into his arms for an unbridled bear hug. The pliant shape of her securely in his arms brought back memories and Duo began to laugh along with her. "Holy shit, I can't freaking believe this!"

"I can't either, but here we are! Damn, but I sure have missed you!" Hilde squealed, hugging him briefly again in pure adoration. "You haven't changed one bit, look at you! Still lean and handsome, but definitely a little beefier and…oh my, you're taller!"

"Damn straight and a long time coming!" Duo said, grinning from ear to ear as he looked over his long time war comrade and former lover. She was wearing a pair of black knee-high boots, a leather miniskirt of the same color and a royal blue embellished halter top with just enough fabric to conceal the prime feature of her pert breasts. She still wore her signature choppy cut, but it was styled more modernly; windblown, and her brilliant cobalt blue eyes popped against the pale and creamy backdrop of her skin and raven hair. The way she smiled at him, so sincerely, so attractively, especially gave him goose bumps and reminded him of the simple life they'd once shared back on L2. Simple, yet definitely never lacking in some damn good nights on the living room floor.

They had to work their assess off to come up with the money to replace the mattress frame on _two_ separate occasions before they learned that lesson.

Hilde hooked an arm firmly around his neck and playfully began to noogy him. "Don't go gettin' all nostalgic on me, cowboy!"

Duo retaliated by encircling his arms around her and giving her waist a generous squeeze. "Guess I missed you more than I thought, babe," he said. "Give us a kiss?" It seemed like a long shot after all this time despite their colorful history, but she obliged him and kissed him and it was just like old times. When the connection was lost after only a few brief seconds, Duo was surprised at the immensity of his loneliness and selfishly attempted to drown it out by repossessing her lips once again.

"Duo…" Hilde playfully shoved him and smiled at his blonde companion who had long returned with two beers and another double Jack over ice. "I'm Hilde, an old friend."

"Pleased to meet you, Hilde, Zechs Merquise. Would you like a beer?"

"Yeah, that'd be great! Thank you very much."

"Here you are." Zechs handed her one of the two bottles of ale and offered the other to Duo, who looked worse for the wear. "Better take this and cool down before you pounce on her, Fido."

Hilde wrapped her arm around his shoulders and chastely kissed his cheek, "He'll be all right. He's just been single far too long, ain't that right? Glad to see he can still pick 'em though," she said and tilted her bottle towards Zechs appreciatively, "you're a handsome one, Zechs. You're European right?"

That got Duo's attention. "Wait. What?"

"Yes, the Sank Kingdom," Zechs answered.

Hilde's eyes went wide, "Holy shit, you're Prince Milliardo Peacecraft aren't you? I knew you looked bloody familiar!"

"Pick 'em?"

Zechs smiled, "Once upon a time."

"Well, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance regardless." Hilde reached out and smiled as he shook her hand, and that was quite enough for Duo.

"Hold, hold, hold IT!" Duo slapped their hands apart and shook his head, "What the heck are you talking about? We're not together or anything; he just owes me a favor."

Zechs nearly spat out his beverage but managed to suppress his laughter, even as Hilde began to search Duo's face as if she were trying to decipher a complete madman. "Wait. Let me get this straight… You're not together?"

"No," Duo said.

"He just owes you a favor?"

"That's right," he confirmed.

"So…you came _here_?"

"Yep!" Duo smirked and patted himself arrogantly on the back, "Still know where the party's at."

That's when Hilde, too, found the humor in it. "Duo," she started, unable to continue for another few minutes as the laughter burst forth so suddenly that she had beer frothing all over the place in seconds. "Oh, shit!"

Duo frowned, turned to Zechs who'd just bought a double bourbon straight from the bottle. "What the-? Did I miss something here?"

"Duo!" Hilde cried, shaking him desperately by the shoulders as the laughter threatened to spontaneously combust her bladder. "You're at a freaking gay bar!"


	17. Chapter Sixteen

**UNDERLYING AGENDA**

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN**

* * *

><p><strong>WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS EXPLICIT SEXUAL CONTENT. READER DISCRETION IS <span>STRONGLY<span> ADVISED.**

* * *

><p>Duo awoke completely naked in a bed he didn't recognize, with its expensive sheets clinging to his excessively sticky abdomen. This alarmed him more than the pounding in his head, or that his surroundings were also entirely unrecognizable. He gazed out through the glass wall into the bleak living room for someone, anyone, and when he spotted no one immediately he forcibly climbed out of bed. There was a soft cotton robe hanging behind the bathroom door, and after relieving himself, he slipped it on and walked out.<p>

"Hello?" Crossing the joint kitchen and living area, he met with another bedroom on the opposite side with an equally impressive glass wall and panoramic view and peering through it, smirked at the sleeping figure lying on the bed. Her back was to him, and she gave no indication of being disturbed as he disrobed and climbed in closely behind her.

The arm and leg that encircled her could have been anyone, but the signature smell of his body gave him away. Except it was significantly spicier this time, speaking of the man that had eclipsed the young boy she'd once known. So, it was almost as if she were in bed with a perfect stranger and the thought of making his acquaintance excited her, intoxicated her, and rendered her incapable of stopping it when his fingers began to flirt with her little nipples, her navel, or the soft tuft of hair between her perspiring thighs. When his calloused finger grazed her engorging clitoris, she broke the silence for the sake of being unable to do anything else. "Duo…" she sighed softly.

Craning his neck, he touched his lips to her earlobe. "We can do better than that…" He teased his fully erect shaft along the cleft of her glorious ass and she whimpered at first, but the longing she felt was truly grandiose because he continued like this only twice more before she expelled his name lasciviously. "Tell me," he pressed on, "what you want most."

"I want you…to fuck me." Hilde confessed, reaching behind her to cling onto his neck when he lifted her leg and entered her from behind. He gasped and she smirked. She was already wet for him. Slick and hot, she hugged him like a custom made suede glove. And he did what he was told. Duo fucked her swiftly and wantonly and thoroughly, until the physical and vocal sounds of their union filled the otherwise silent condominium and their scent permeated the air, until she tired of her submissive position and opted to mount him and impale herself on him instead.

Duo cupped her breasts in his generous palms and smiled roguishly into her flushing face. "Ride it, baby," he purred.

Hilde admired his rippling torso with the tips of her fingers, bent down and licked each flat caramel nipple, before sitting up again. Her heavy eyelids fluttered shut, deliberately steadied her breathing. All concentration trickled down to the sweet penetration, and nothing else existed, nothing but the exquisiteness of being filled to near obliteration of tissue and muscle. And then she did what she was told. Her breasts gyrated in time with her hips, hypnotizing Duo, arousing him until he could no longer withstand the exhilaration of such a state and she let go altogether. "Oh, I'm going to come!" The wet sound of her coming commenced and was indescribably perfect. "Fuck, yes!" She slammed down one final time and he lifted his hips up to meet her, draining his sex with a deep husky groan that blended beautifully with her piercing climactic moan.

Nearly manic, they collapsed in a heap of sweltering limbs on the mangled bed and all was still for another hour or so. Then, hunger and the prolonged absence of a recently made friend beckoned her to come out and explore the space. There were two covered trays filled with succulent breakfast variations, a carrier of coffee, and a pitcher of orange juice to fill and sate her sitting on the kitchen counter and she moved to help herself just before something in the next room disrupted her. Quietly, she left the glass cover on the table and crossed the short distance towards the bedroom where Duo had emerged earlier that morning.

The movement came from Zechs. Judging by the numerous rivulets of condensation traveling along his taut frame, he had just stepped out of the shower and appeared to be, "Looking for this?" Hilde offered him the robe she'd taken from Duo without concern that its absence left her completely open to his scrutiny. When he turned and regarded her with no alarming concern for his own nudity she supposed he didn't mind, either. Nor should he, the former Prince was physical perfection.

"Yes," he finally said. "I was."

"Should have looked in my room. It was on the floor where Duo left it just this morning, a foot from the door." With supple sways and bounces, she came up closer to him and he saw the mischievousness written in her eyes just as clearly as she saw the desire burning in his seemingly stoic face. "But you already knew that. You saw it fall, you saw it all."

"With all the glass it's difficult to escape such a thing." Zechs gave no indication of shame or embarrassment as he said this, nor as his penetrating stare momentarily fell upon her breasts and nipples. "You knew I would be watching him."

"Did you like what you saw?"

"Immensely."

"You can have him, too, and more than once."

"It's not quite so simple."

Taking his hands, she brought them roughly to ample chest. "It's that easy!" came her sharp whispered reply, "especially when the other party is practically yearning for you to make a move."

"The over consumption of alcohol can make us stupidly tolerant of logically abhorrent things. How can you be so certain?" he asked, but did not remove his hands.

"Must you always have an answer for everything? Can't it just be so?" Hilde shook her head slowly, deliberately; so that her message was received completely devoid of doubt. "He needs you like no one else, not even me."

The cheeky young woman was positively certain- physically and in her comprehension of her closest and dearest friend-and she reminded him of a sensuous prophet who'd phenomenally appeared just in time to bestow upon him some great advice that could change everything if he were to take it. "It's not quite so simple," he repeated. He never cared much for fairy tales.

Hilde stepped away to return to her breakfast and his hands slipped back to his sides. "The ball's in your court, Zechs. Hit it back," she answered. "Quite so simple."


	18. Chapter Seventeen

**UNDERLYING AGENDA**

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN**

* * *

><p>Zechs and Hilde were nowhere to be seen when he awoke again later that morning. Instead, he found a brief message on the Macbook she'd left in her wake. It read:<p>

_Duo-_

_I'm sorry I couldn't wait up. I had to make it home in time to meet up with the husband. Zechs was gracious enough to offer me a ride. I live across town, so he may still be out by the time you get this. It was great to see you again, Duo. Don't be a stranger! I would love to play hostess sometime, and I'm sure Vaughn would love to meet you. He's an engineer. I think you'd really like him. _

_Love always,_

_-H. S. Halperin _

He felt lethargic. "What have I been doing the last five years?" he mused out loud, grimacing as the whitewashed ceiling produced no answer of true worth. Suddenly, the thought of staying immobile any longer irritated him and he quickly got up and made himself ready.

From his position on the sofa, Zechs had been watching Duo closely for some time and nearly went unnoticed when he came out of his room heading briskly for the exit. He downturned his book on his crossed knee. "Going somewhere, Duo?" He looked like he could barely stand to stop and acknowledge his host, but paused nonetheless to provide a cryptic smidgen of the panic burning inside him.

"Yes, and I'd like to go alone," he said. "Don't wait up, I'll be fine."

"Very well." Zechs gestured to the freshly dry cleaned jacket hanging on the barstool behind him, which he'd earlier stocked with plenty of loose bills. LA cabbies preferred cash to credit, and the walks after battling out inner turmoil often landed the troubled far from the point where they began. Duo grabbed the jacket but didn't put it on right away. The leather protested beneath his grip as he contemplated a further exchange of empty words out of unnecessary courtesy.

Zechs picked his book back up and nodded as if he had, "See you later, Duo."

"Yeah," Duo met his gaze and nodded, the tension easing from his grip almost instantly. "Later."

Upon stepping out into the bustling downtown streets, he began walking in no particular direction or towards any particular place. Instead Duo allowed his feet to carry him where they may, and decided he would only redirect after firmly understanding his current dilemma. Then he would choose to walk determinately toward realization of its solution. It seems like pointless over exertion, but Duo had tested this method of problem solving ever since L2 and it never let him down. Of course, his problems were much simpler back then.

The smell of freshly brewed coffee and baked pastries was thick as he past the local Starbucks. It inadvertently veered his contemplation into warmer waters but he never missed a step. Clinging to the past only mattered to him when he had a future to contribute to those memories. He had to come to terms that with the absence of Heero there was little else going for him in the grand scheme of things. Although a Preventer, he rarely worked as a field agent unless Agent Yuy required assistance. With the supposed wedding and developing child now in the picture, Duo was certain Heero was going to take an extensive leave of absence and relocate to Sank which would surely render him completely useless. And the money, well, he'd survived the majority of his life without it. He could do it again. But in truth, this had an easy fix. All he had to do was quit and find another job, real work, something that yielded more than a paycheck and healthcare benefits. He still loved piloting, and there were plenty of hungry commercial aviation companies that would love an over qualified pilot to exploit. That didn't bother him, for at least it would be, you know, _fun_.

If he resigned the company would offer him the bungalow, but staying there, or in Japan even, was hardly ideal to Duo. It was too big for only one person, contain too many haunting memories even after he settled things amicably with Heero, and this recent trip to the U.S inspired him to consider moving to California, or maybe the Lone Star State. Despite the fact that he never worked for the money, he had been smart enough to save his paychecks and post-war pensions and could do whatever the hell he wanted. Live on the moon if it suited him.

Money; it seemed to be the solution to all his problems so far but Duo knew better. The happiest moments in his life never involved extensive monetary investment, but investing the best of what he had to offer to those who gave the same. As a pilot, a comrade, a friend, even a lover but he wanted much, much more. Duo took a deep breath, paused to wait for the signal to turn at a busy intersection.

_This time I want a home, not a house. _

_I want someone in particular, rather than no one in particular. _

_I want to live for an 'us', not solely for 'me.'_

_I want who money can't buy because he's no stranger to it, and someone who can't buy me because I am such a stranger to it. _

Duo looked up but didn't move. The traffic sign, brightly lit and typical, was like a glittering message from something much greater than mankind itself.

**WALK**

And he did. Across the opposite street where he caught a cab back to the condominium.

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><p>AN: Thanks again for reading! Please, review and let me know what y'all think. All comments, good or bad, are certainly welcome!


	19. Chapter Eighteen

**UNDERLYING AGENDA**

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN **

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><p>The apartment was no longer quiet when Duo bustled through the front door, his arms so overloaded that he had to nudge the door shut with his booted heel. Setting the goody bags on the counter, Duo tossed his jacket aside and enthusiastically began unpacking them. "Zechs Merquise," he called. "Are you here?"<p>

After Duo's departure, Zechs spent the whole of the day trying to convince himself that he wasn't the least bit concerned of the younger man's whereabouts. _Duo was street smart_, he told himself as jogged on the treadmill. _He can handle anyone or anything_, he decided later while catching up with the day's news and sport. By the time he crawled into bed and picked up his nightly read, he was worried shitless. It was a blessing to hear the clamor of his presence again. "In here, Duo!" Zechs abandoned his book of poetry on the end table and propped himself up against the pillows, chuckling as Duo pressed his face stupidly against the glass. "Come in, you goof."

Popping his head in, Duo lit up his boyish good looks with a charming grin. "Guess who's got a surprise for you?" he asked in an enthusiastic sing-song voice.

"Duo… what the hell…?"

"Uh-uh!" Duo returned after changing into more comfortable clothes. "No peeking!"

"How could I? You've practically mummified my face with this tie."

"Can you breathe?"

"Yes."

"Then quit your bellyaching."

Zechs would have rolled his eyes if he was able.

The bed gave beneath Duo's weight and Zechs turned in his general direction, a steady surge of adrenaline pumping through his body. He heard a rustle of what sounded like butcher paper, and Zechs instinctively licked his lips as he caught the smell of freshly grilled beef. He began salivating profusely and suddenly realized he'd been so all-consumed with Duo that he hadn't eaten.

Partially unwrapping the gourmet burger, Duo sat up on his knees in front of the patiently sitting Zechs and poised the burger just beneath his nose. "Smell good?"

"God, yes." Zechs nodded, parted his lips and Duo watched him intently as he took a tentative bite, chewed, and caught a stray dab of spicy mustard from the corner of his mouth with the tip of his tongue. Unable to see and the silence awkward, he began to laugh.

The sound was dark and smoky and already a favorite of Duo's. "Well, what's the verdict?"

"It's divine," he whispered. He caught something else in the air. "What else have you brought me?"

"What makes you think that?" Duo teased, fishing out a small carton from the bag and munching rather loudly on the goody inside.

It was Zechs's turn to grin, "A great burger is never without its delectably starchy sidekick. Come on…let me have one."

"Open up, then." Touching the delicate sweet potato fry against the crease of his lips, Zechs captured it and drew it in, the sensual ease of the gesture making Duo's cock stir in appreciation. Sitting on the nightstand were two glasses of red wine. Duo carefully grabbed one and gave it a gentle swirl before offering it to him, quickly downing his own in vain attempt to cool down the incessant heat of arousal. "Try this." Zechs brought the glass to his own lips but the beauty of his mannerisms never faltered.

Savoring the vintage, Duo watched as Zechs's lips receded in a genuine smile, the beautiful teeth and pink gums startlingly beautiful to see. "Is this my..?"

"Some people take towels. I prefer bottles of truly exquisite wine."

"You like wine? "

"I like your wine," Duo said, touching his empty crystal glass against Zechs's. "I could drink it with anything."

"That includes dessert," Zechs responded matter-of-factly, smiling behind his wineglass.

"Nothing gets past you, does it?"

"I wasn't appointed second to General Kushrenada for nothing, Mr. Maxwell." Zechs felt Duo shift again and readied himself with a slight part of his lips. Zechs had a secret sweet tooth not easily quieted that always left him madly anticipating the dessert course like a fat kid loves cake. Noin was the only one who caught on, lovingly emptying the candy wrappers and melted chocolates from the pockets of his OZ jacket every chance she got.

Duo quietly unveiled the dark chocolate truffle from its wrapper with nervous fingers. "Can't argue with that," he said. He got up on his knees and leant forward to touch the melting chocolate round to Zechs's lips, and whether it was an act of fate or innate clumsiness, it almost immediately fell from between his oily fingers to land on the pristine white fabric of Zechs's draw string pants.

Through the tiny gap in his blindfold, Zechs saw it all. He watched the young American debate between giving him the truffle or planting one on him with increasing hope that he'd take a chance and choose the latter. When it looked like he'd been relying on false hope, the truffle fell and plopped on the leg of his pants, and Zechs found himself taking his own chances as Duo became temporarily sidetracked with the newly made mess.

It was now or never.  
>"Cra'ap!" Duo looked around frantically for something. "I'm so freakin' stu-!"<p>

Grabbing him firmly by the hips, Zechs pulled him into his arms and kissed him.

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><p>AN: Hello readers! I do apologize for taking forever to update. I've recently started pursuing my second degree and have a lot of projects in the making, but I'll do my best to update AT LEAST once per month. I have a definitive direction for this fic, just not enough time to put it all down on paper. Thank you for staying tuned! As always, please take a moment to write a short review/flame/what have you. All feedback is welcome!


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